“We are being intimidated.” What Mainers see when ICE launches operations in the state

Mainers are grappling with the growing presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in their cities, as the state becomes the latest target of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda.

However, state and local officials say details about the people targeted and vulnerable communities are lacking.

“Why who? Why now?” Democratic Gov. Janet Mills said Thursday. “We’ve reached out and asked questions. We don’t have answers.”

The Department of Homeland Security announced the launch of its operation in Maine, dubbed “Catch of the Day,” earlier this week, saying agents are focusing on “the worst of the worst” in their arrests.

But ICE’s increased presence in the state has disrupted schools and businesses, Mills said at a news conference, adding that it was difficult to know the full scope and justification of the operation because federal agencies don’t provide those details.

Mills also noted that Trump has targeted urban areas in blue states with Democratic governors for broad immigration measures, such as Los Angeles, Chicago and, most recently, Minneapolis. Tensions remain high in the Twin Cities after an ICE agent shot and killed Rene Judd, a 37-year-old US citizen, in Minneapolis, with more violent confrontations with federal agents captured on camera.

A demonstrator holds an “ICE Out Maine” sign at a protest in Portland on Friday against increased federal immigration enforcement in the state. Photography by Brian Snyder/Reuters

Immigrants make up a small percentage — 4% — of Maine’s population, according to the most recent census data.

The volunteer-run hotline overseen by the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition saw a spike in calls as the ICE process began, said Ruben Torres, the group’s advocacy and policy director.

“We hear a little bit of everything,” Torres said of call volume. “It’s confusion, it’s fear, it’s panic. It’s a lot of real desire and need to help their community members.”

What DHS said about its operation in Maine

More than 100 people were arrested in the first three days of the operation, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to PBS News.

She added in the statement: “Some of the worst arrests since the first day of operations include illegal criminal aliens accused and convicted of horrific crimes including aggravated assault, false imprisonment and endangering the safety of a child.”

The agency did not respond to questions about where these arrests largely occurred, where detainees are being held, or how long this latest operation is expected to last.

ICE is targeting about 1,400 people in Maine, Patricia Hyde, the agency’s deputy associate director, told Fox News on Tuesday, the first day of the operation. This includes people accused of child rape, sexual assaults and other crimes.

What Maine state officials said about the operation

Maine Gov. Janet Mills speaks during a June meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, to discuss the effects of tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. Photography by Sophie Park – Reuters

Before the operation, mayors in Portland and Lewiston, Maine’s two largest cities, warned residents to prepare for a potential increase in ICE presence in their neighborhoods.

At a news conference on Wednesday, Portland Mayor Mark Dion said city officials stood by immigrant communities, while also questioning the tactics used in the operation.

“While we respect the law, we challenge the need for a paramilitary approach,” the mayor said.

Portland has not received any official information about the ongoing operation, “only what DHS sent out as press releases,” city spokeswoman Jessica Grondin told PBS News in an email.

“Let’s see the documents,” Governor Mills said, referring to ICE’s claims about crimes committed by their targets. She added that her office has heard that people without a criminal background are being detained and separated from their families.

“If they have warrants, show them. In America, we don’t believe in secret arrests or secret police,” Mills said.

Lewiston Mayor Carl Scheelen said in an email to PBS News that verifying the number of arrests and detentions so far in the city was “somewhat of a moving target at the moment.” The mayor confirmed that at least one person was arrested in Lewiston and has since been released.

Who are the Maine immigrants?

Maine is overwhelmingly white, making it among the least racially diverse states in the country. It is also one of the most rural areas.

These two characteristics mean that “any immigrant group stands out and also creates an impact in their communities,” Torres said.

While most immigrants from Maine live in urban areas — Portland, Lewiston and Bangor — they are also spread across rural areas of the state, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Nearly half have lived in the United States for 20 years or more.

Although immigrants make up a small percentage of the state’s total population, there is diversity within the immigrant community. Torres said asylum seekers from sub-Saharan Africa make up some of the largest groups.

According to MPI, about half of the state’s immigrant population is from Asia and Europe. Another 20% comes from Africa and 19% from North America, primarily Canada.

While immigrants from Latin America and the Caribbean represent larger shares of the population in other states, only 10% of immigrants in Maine were from that region.

“I feel like most people, when we talk about the immigrant population, they think about the Latino community, but in this case, in this state, we have a slightly different demographic,” Torres said.

“People are afraid.” What Mainers see in their communities

A crowd of demonstrators gather to protest in Portland, Maine, on Friday against increased enforcement of federal immigration laws in the state. Photography by Brian Snyder/Reuters

Crystal Krohn woke up early Tuesday morning to a text message from the school monitoring group. A parent reported that ICE agents were on a street in downtown Portland.

The parent, who was witnessing a targeted operation in their neighborhood, noticed three vehicles with five armed agents wearing tactical gear. As the news spread, Crone and more people arrived at the scene. Eventually, with this increased community presence, the officers were deterred and led away, she said.

“We have trained and built each system so we can keep children and families safe in our neighborhoods,” said Krohn, Founding Director of Presente. who. “That was my first real test. It was terrifying.”

She added that after this first sighting, more ICE patrols were observed “randomly snatching people off the street.”

ICE’s increased activity “on our sidewalks, in our stores, and at traffic stops has created fear — and that fear reaches far beyond any one person,” Shellene, the mayor of Lewiston, said in a statement to PBS News.

He added, “Our streets today are unusually quiet. In my conversations with residents, I hear the same thing over and over again: People are afraid. And this fear affects daily life and Lewiston’s businesses.”

Portland Public Schools told PBS News in an email that the district’s absence rate was 11 percentage points higher Thursday than the average for the first half of January. In some schools, the absence rate was more than 20 percentage points higher.

The message MIRC is sharing with community leaders is that “this is a scary time and it’s okay to feel what you’re feeling,” said Torres of the volunteer hotline, while also reassuring people that it’s important to know their rights and be educated in case the worst-case scenario occurs.

“We are being intimidated,” Crone said. “People are scared, staying home, but we also have a lot of people showing up to meet needs so our neighbors can shelter in place,” like delivering food, diapers and baby formula.